Mom was Sicilian so I never had to look for any subtle unsaid signs and symptoms to know where I stood.
So you know how, as you age, your parents seem wiser with every year? Don’t know about you guys but on that pivotal day when my first AARP sales pitch came postal, my sense of what Middle Age really was “went” postal.
I was like, if I take really good care of myself, go to the gym, eat kale (whatever that is) and look both ways before I cross the street (more slowly with every B-day) I might just make it to “100” and even see the Clippers make it past the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Most of the best life lessons I’ve learned have come from my parents. While I was being served notice by AARP, my mom was beginning a 10-year struggle with something far sneakier than even her youngest son. And the lessons continued.
Mom took every jab and haymaker diabetes could throw her way. And it seems like every time I walk through a parking lot, I can still see my mom looking up at me, on the way to yet another doctor’s appointment, and saying, “I never thought I’d ever be like this.” For Mom, that one observation shared was the closest she’d come to registering a complaint.
So I always knew my mom was wise; and I knew I was loved, unconditionally. Mom was Sicilian so I never had to look for any subtle unsaid signs and symptoms to know where I stood. Sometimes (often) I stood and took the fire I richly deserved…but there was always a lesson and a hug and a kiss that sealed the envelope containing my thoughtless behavior, leaving it in the past.
On AARP Day…and beyond, I stood and remain standing in awe of Mom. While my mom fought through those last ten years, her dignity remained, her toughness grew, and her heart had room only for love. Instead of being bitter, Mom took on kind of an ironic smile she’d share only with me when confronted by one more blindside shot the healthiest five-footer I’ve ever known never saw coming. “Yeah, take your best shot. I got this.” On tough days like today, I’ll be wearing that same smile.
